The Beaconsfield, W14

This pub has changed massively in the past few months. It has had a small refurb and looks all the better for it. They have introduced Cask Ales and Craft Beers. There is also now the option for more premium spirits and Sunday Roasts which makes a refreshing change for this area! Popped in a few weeks ago and they had some great live music on the Thursday evening and a Back to School Quiz on the Monday. I would recommend this pub to anyone visiting the area. Would be a great venue if you are attending a show at Olympia and want to host a post show party or get together.

After my visit on Friday afternoon a couple of weeks ago I thought that the Beaconsfield was much improved from when I last visited back in the nineties. If memory serves me correctly this place used to be called the Frigate and Firkin and it was a bit of a dive. It also used to attract some young antipodeans with basic hygiene problems and some disgusting habits. Thankfully that is all in the past. Daily from noon access can be gained to the open plan L shaped bar area that has a mixture of standard furniture and high tables. There is a plasma screen that was switched off and I saw no signs of Sky Sports. There was some low background music playing, but it was hardly audible over the conversation of the twenty or so other customers. The bar is stocked with standard draught and the four hand pumps were drawing Pedigree and Sambrook’s Wandle alongside Adnams Ghost Ship and Fat Sprat. Food is available from midday until 15:00 and 17:00 until 21:00 during the week and from midday until 18:00 at the weekends. The mains are standard pub fare priced from £8 for sausage and mash to £15 for steak. There is a 10% discount for CAMRA card holders. I found the service to be spot on, but I didn’t think that the layout led to the most comfortable of environments. I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit here again, but there are worse pubs in the area.

Bombardier and Deuchars IPA were available here. The Deuchars was a little bit more than £3 a pint as I recall and even though the quality wasn’t good, it was drinkable. I didn’t see a menu, but food was clearly available on the Saturday afternoon I was in as one punter was getting stuck into a massive beefburger. A very large pull down screen had the racing projected onto it, and all the windows on that side of the pub had their blinds lowered, making it very gloomy indeed. As you would expect, the racing obviouslyy dominated this one room pub. Most of the seating was tall tables and tall stools, with a couple of sofas on the left, and a handful of normal tables and chairs at the back. Perhaps I didn’t see this pub at its best, but I found it a fairly uncomfortable place. If you were interested in watching the racing on a giant screen in gloomy and dim surroundings, then this pub would suit you. Otherwise I didn’t think it had much going for it. I don’t expect to return.